Dental cast articulator

ABSTRACT

This invention is an articulator for adjustably supporting dental casts (used in making dentures) in a position corresponding to the actual position of the jaws for which the dentures are to be made. This articulator provides a device whereby the upper casting may be moved vertically relative to the lower casting, may be pivoted relative to the lower casting in the same manner that the human jaws pivot, and may be moved forwardly or backwardly along an axis extending from the front to the rear of the castings. In addition, the castings may partake of any two or all three of the above adjustments, as may be necessary to depict the true occlusal planes of the patient&#39;&#39;s original teeth.

United States Patent 21 Imentor Raymond E. Krueger 3659 4th A\e.. Apt. 6, San Diego, Calif. 92103 t App! No 695,529 I33; Filed Jan. 3, I968 [4H Patented Aug. 24,1971

t 4 I DENTAL CAST ARTICULATOR l Claim, 5 Drawing Figs.

I82] U.S.Cl. 32/32 l5l| lnt.Cl. r. .r A6lcll/00 I 50] Field 0! Search. 32/32, 4

i 50: References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 448.606 5/!944 Cayo 32/32 I hZl 40 12/[952 Schlesinger 32/32 Primary ExaminerRobert Peshock Attorney-Gustave Miller ABSTRACT: This invention is an articulator for adjustably supporting dental casts (used in making dentures) in a position corresponding to the actual position of the jaws for which the dentures are to be made. This articulator provides a device whereby the upper casting may be moved vertically relative to the lower casting, may be pivoted relative to the lower casting in the same manner that the human jaws pivot. and may be moved forwardly or backwardiy along an axis extending from the front to the rear of the castings. in addition. the castings may partake of any two or all three of the above adjustments, as may be necessary to depict the true occlusal planes of the patient's original teeth PAIENTEIJ AUB24 r971 QT mm m v ow w mt Nvmm I N VENT( )R Raymond E. Krueger ATTORNl-TY This invention relates to an articulator for supporting and accurately adjusting dental castings or teeth forms into a position to represent the correct occlusal planes of the dentures in the human jaw so that they will be in the same position and angle that the original human teeth had occupied, so the the dentures, when in place, will permit the denture wearer to maintain the dentures comfortably in his mouth.

A further object of this invention is to provide an articulator for dental casts that is capable of accurately positioning the denture casts in the true position of the original teeth in the jaws, even though one jaw may protrude or recede abnormally of the other.

A further object of this invention is to provide a dental cast articulator wherein the vertical supporting member for the upper casting is in the form of an articulated or jointed rod, which has sections pivotally connected to each other in such manner that the upper cast may be moved forwardly or rearwardly of the lower cast to correctly depict the true relation of the jaws of the patient to each other.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION In brief, the articulator of this invention has baseplates on which each of the upper and lower dental casts are to be secured in the usual manner. An upright rod is mounted in a shaftway in the lower dental casting base and secured therein, vertically adjustable, by a setscrew extending through the side of the shaftway. The upright rod is articulated or jointed in at least three sections, by means of overlapping extending eyes, and pivot bolts extending through the overlapping eyes securably held wingnuts on the bolts. The pivot bolts extend at an angle normal to the axis extending from the front to the rear of the dental castings, and the upper casting is provided with a protruding eye cooperatively pivoted by a bolt and wingnut to a clamp embracing the top section of the articulated rod, so that the upper casting may be elevated or pivoted or both as need to position the upper casting in true and proper relation to the lower casting,

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. I is a side elevation of the articulator in operative position with an upper and a lower dental cast in position.

FIG. 2 is a view looking at the right of FIG. 1, from the rear toward the front of the dental castings.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the articulated rod in the position when the lowerjaw recedes behind the upperjaw.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the articulated rod in the position when the lower jaw protrudes beyond the upper jaw.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION There is shown at 18 the articulator of this invention, including a lower base to which the lower jaw dental casting I2 is secured in the conventional manner, and an upper jaw dental casting I4 is similarly secured to an upper base 16, together with an articulated upright supporting rod secured to the lower base It) and articulatedly supporting the upper base 16. This invention consists of combination of such casting bases l0 and 16 with the articulated upright supporting rod 20. The articulated rod 20 consists of at least three articulated bottom, middle and top sections 22, 24 and 26 pivotally and adjustably jointed and secured together, at a desired angle, by extending overlapping eyes 28 and pivot bolts extending through the eyes 28 and secured in adjusted position by wingnuts 32.

The bottom rod section 22 is adjustably mounted in a shaftway 34 in lower base 10 and is secured therein by a setscrew 36 extending through one side thereof.

The upper base 16 is provided with a horizontally extending eye 38, and a clamp 40 embracing the top rod section 26 is pivotally secured by bolt 42 and wingnut 44 to the eye 38 of the upper base 16.

OPERATION OF INVENTION The dental castings l2 and 14 are secured to or mounted on their respective bases 10 and 16 in the conventional manner. The teeth forms 46 and 48 are properly positioned and in proper occlusal planes to each other, corresponding to the actual desired occlusal planes of the patients original teeth, and thus of the dental casting when completed by the dentist, by articulating the rod 20 as needed either with straight angles between the sections 22, 24 and 26 as in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, or at obtuse angles as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, to the desired degree to properly reproduce the jaw angles and positions of the patient. Then with the wingnuts 32 and 44 and setscrew 36 tightened to maintain the articulated rod in the desired position and thus maintain the dental castings l2 and 14 in proper relation to each other, the articulator 18 with its castings is sent to the dental technician for making the dentures in the usual manner.

ABSTRACT OF DRAWING In the drawings, like numbers refer to like parts, and for the purposes of explication, marshalled below are the number parts of the improved Dental Cast Articulator:

10 lower casting base 12 lower dental 14 upper dental casting 16 upper casting base 18 articulator 20 articulated supporting upright rod 22 bottom rod section 24 middle rod section 26 top rod section 28 rod joint overlapping eyes 30 pivot bolt through 28 32 wingnuts on 30 34 shaftway in It) for bottom rod section 22 36 setscrew to 22 in 34 38 eye on upper casting base 14 40 clamp on 26 42 pivot bolt for 40 through 38 44 wing nut for 40 46 upper teeth forms 48 lower teeth forms Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. An articulator (18) for an upper (l4) and a lower (12) dental casting, the improvement comprising a lower base (10), an articulated upright rod (20), means (34 and 36) securing said articulated rod (20) in said lower base (l0), said rod (20) comprising three articulated straight rod sections (22, 24 and 26) means (28 and 30) for adjustably pivoting each articulated rod section (22, 24 and 26) in the same vertical plane to the adjoining section (22 to 24 and 24 to 26) thereof, means (32) for securing said pivoted rod sections in adjusted position, said lower casting base securing means comprising a vertical shaftway (34) in said lower base, the lower section (22) of said rod (20) extending into said shaftway (34), a setscrew (36) extending horizontally into said shaftway 34 against said lower section (22) for securing said rod (20) in vertically adjusted position thereon, said upper casting base securing means comprising an eye (38) extending from said upper casting base (16), a clamp (40) adjustably means (28, 30) for adjustably pivoting and securing each articulated rod section in the same vertical plane comprising said extending overlapping eyes (28) of said rod sections, a

threaded pivot bolt (30) extending through said overlapping eyes (28), and a wingnut (32) threaded on said bolt (30). 

1. An articulator (18) for an upper (14) and a lower (12) dental casting, the improvement comprising a lower base (10), an articulated upright rod (20), means (34 and 36) securing said articulated rod (20) in said lower base (10), said rod (20) comprising three articulated straight rod sections (22, 24 and 26) means (28 and 30) for adjustably pivoting each articulated rod section (22, 24 and 26) in the same vertical plane to the adjoining section (22 to 24 and 24 to 26) thereof, means (32) for securing said pivoted rod sections in adjusted position, said lower casting base securing means comprising a vertical shaftway (34) in said lower base, the lower section (22) of said rod (20) extending into said shaftway (34), a setscrew (36) extending horizontally into said shaftway 34 against said lower section (22) for securing said rod (20) in vertically adjusted position thereon, said upper casting base securing means comprising an eye (38) extending from said upper casting base (16), a clamp (40) adjustably embracing said upper articulated rod section (26), and means (42, 44) pivotally, adjustably securing said clamp (40) to said eye (38), said pivotal, adjustable securing means comprising a bolt (42) and a wingnut (44) threaded thereon for ready manual adjustment, said bolt (42) extending through said clamp (40) and said eye (38), said articulated rod sections 122, 24 and 26) having extending overlapping eyes (28), said means (28, 30) for adjustably pivoting and securing each articulated rod section in the same vertical plane comprising said extending overlapping eyes (28) of said rod sections, a threaded pivot bolt (30) extending through said overlapping eyes (28), and a wingnut (32) threaded on said bolt (30). 